This weekend, the United States laid to rest a man many admired as a patriot and heroâUnited States Senator John Sidney McCain III.
Former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both eulogized the Senator at his memorial service on Saturday. Bush also outwardly showed his affection toward Obama with an interesting gesture.
President George W. Bush spoke about the friendship he shared with his fellow Republican, Senator McCain.
He said:
"In the end, I got to enjoy one of life's great gifts, the friendship of John McCain. And I'll miss it."
Bush also commended McCain saying,
"Perhaps above all, John detested the abuse of power."
In an era where party divides seem deeper than ever, many noted President Bush demonstrated the reach across the aisle when he was spotted passing a candy down the pew to Michelle Obama who, in turn, mouthed, "thank you".
Check out the heart-warming video here:
But in an even bigger, and slightly more hilarious way, Bush showed the world that, while Trump may be trying to convince everyone that Republicans and Democrats have an ever-growing rift between them, traditional Republicans like Bush and McCain, in fact, do not.
And what better way to demonstrate the party's unity than by a gesture toward Barack Obama?
But the gesture was not what you might expect.
Check it out below:
Yep. You just saw a former Republican president slap a former Democratic president on the butt.
The exchange is just so... pure.
And it's also pretty hilarious.
Could a new bromance be forming?
Aside from the gestures of affection between the 43rd and 44th President's families, Bush's statementsâalong with the other eulogies and the uninviting of the current Presidentâearned the Washington DC memorial service the nickname, "the biggest resistance meeting yet" by The New Yorker.
Perhaps some are confused at how a Republican former President could be included in the description "resistance" or a memorial service for a Republican Senator could be characterized as a "resistance meeting."
However, it became clear that issues with the Trump administration concern more than just Democrats. Saturday's memorial service was perhaps the biggest illustration to date that the "resistance" is beginning to blur party lines between traditional Republicans and their Democratic rivals.